Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island in Ontario has built a small, locally controlled data centre to preserve Indigenous language recordings and other community records, moving data from a Toronto Microsoft data centre to store it locally.

The data center, about the size of a single-car garage, stores language recordings, residents’ health data, corporate documents, and security footage, with plans for a mainland backup and local data governance to reduce reliance on external systems.

Leaders stress careful, informed use of AI and strong governance to prevent harm or misuse of community data, reflecting a history of exclusion from data collection by outside entities.

The project raises governance questions about retention of footage, access to health information, facial recognition use, and drone data management, with calls for clear institutional arrangements.

Data infrastructure is framed as a civic asset akin to water or roads, with future steps including financing and integrating backup and public Wi‑Fi, shaping whether it remains a local archive or expands into a community-owned digital network.

The initiative followed a 2022 flood that highlighted the risk of losing digital records, prompting consolidation and stronger local governance of information.

Data sovereignty is defined as ownership, access, control, and possession of information, not merely storage location, with governance over who accesses data and how it is used.

Data sovereignty aligns with long-standing Indigenous governance principles since 1998 and connects to concerns about Big Tech data practices and AI training data collection.

Drones and cameras, including DJI-supplied equipment, monitor missing people, crime, and fires, with footage stored locally and privacy protections acknowledged by the community.

The project demonstrates how Indigenous communities use digital preservation to safeguard oral traditions and ensure access to cultural materials on their own terms.

This initiative is among the first Indigenous-led data sovereignty efforts in Canada, attracting delegations from other communities to learn, and spurring ongoing debates about AI, data governance, and the role of Big Tech.

The centre aims to own, access, control, and possess the community’s information, reducing dependence on external cloud providers and safeguarding records from past losses.